White Heaps Praise on Thatch After UFN 32 Win

Due to Vitor’s Belfort unforgettable win over Dan Henderson at UFC FN 32, and all the title shot discussion after, several other jaw dropping performances from that night have gotten lost in the mix a little bit. One of those belongs to Brandon Thatch, who needed less than three minutes to take out established vet Paulo Thiago with a vicious knee to the body. Thatch has required under four minutes total to record two wins now with the UFC (in August he took out Justin Edwards in under 90 seconds).

While Belfort’s victory has dominated headlines, and for good reason, that doesn’t mean Thatch’s performance got by Dana White. In fact, while speaking to the media afterwards, the UFC President heaped praise on “Rukus” by saying (quotes via MMA Junkie.com):

“(Thatch was impressive), especially how good he looked with who he was fighting, and what he did to who he was fighting,” White said. “I have a lot of respect for Thiago. (Thatch) hunted him down and stayed right in his face. Paulo Thiago knocked out (Josh) Koscheck and brutalized Mike Swick, and this kid stays right in his face and keeps going after him. I like this kid.”

White also referred to Thatch as a “F—ing stud.” Now that’s a compliment. Interestingly enough, Thatch wasn’t completely sold on his performance.

“I’m happy with the win, but I feel I got a little sloppy toward the end there,” Thatch said. “I want to take the next couple of months to get back to basics and get more disciplined. I am happy with the win, though. To be honest, I’m excited to go grab a beer. When I heard the cheers for Paulo, I pretended it was for me.”

At any rate, Thatch is clearly a welterweight to keep an eye on and it will be interesting to see who the UFC books to fight him next. The Colorado fighter picked up a lengthy medical suspension after the bout, however, and will need to be cleared by a doctor if he hopes to fight inside of six months.